Iowa Wesleyan football ready to silence the doubters

MT. PLEASANT — It has been a long road back for the Iowa Wesleyan football team since having last year’s fall season cut short due to COVID-19.

The fall of 2020 was supposed to feature a full season under new head coach MD Daniels. Instead, there were no football games played until the spring, and the Tigers got just three in all year.

Now, less than four months after their final game in the spring, the Tigers finally have a full schedule back in front of them. One that kicks off on Saturday in Davenport against St. Ambrose.

“You get a little taste in the spring,” Daniels said. “It's kind of like you eat, but you're not full yet.“

The Tigers will have plenty on their plates this fall. Iowa Wesleyan is scheduled for 11 games between Saturday and Nov. 13.

“Our guys are hungry,” Daniels said. “We are chomping at the bits.”

The Tigers showed signs of improvement in the spring. After a couple of one-possession losses in their first two games, Iowa Wesleyan snapped a 17-game losing streak in its final game, blasting Westminster College 35-14 on the road.

Now, in their first season back in the NAIA in nine years, and their debut season in the North Star Athletic Conference, the Tigers are ready to prove that game was no fluke.

“I was really excited to get the win,” Daniels said. “I was excited for the seniors, but I was even more excited for the guys coming back. Now they’ve got a taste of victory.”

For Daniels and his staff, this fall will be a long time coming. Daniels was announced as head coach in December 2019, so he has had to wait almost two years to get a full schedule under his belt.

Daniels says he’s especially excited for the offense to continue to grow under offensive coordinator Kiefer Price. Both Daniels and Price are students of the famous “air raid” offense, which exploded out of Mt. Pleasant in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Daniels promised to bring the air raid back to Mt. Pleasant when he was announced as head coach and wasted no time implementing the system. The Tigers threw for 924 yards and six touchdowns over three games in the spring.

“Coach Price has done a tremendous job with the offense,” Daniels said. “Our offense took a big leap in the spring, and we pretty much have nine returning starters coming back.”

Among the starters includes quarterback Gavin Esquivel, who threw for every one of those 924 yards through the air.

“The sky is the limit for our offense,” Daniels said.

The Tigers will have their hands full on Saturday. They’ll play a St. Ambrose team that went 5-3 last year.

After playing in Burlington all spring, the Tigers return to Mapleleaf Athletic Complex in Mt. Pleasant on Sept. 4 when they host Missouri Baptist in the home opener. The Tigers’ first North Star game will be on Sept. 25 against Valley City State.

Daniels says his squad is extra motivated to prove their worth in the North Star, especially after getting picked dead last in the preseason poll.

“To tell you the truth, as a coach I kind of expected it to be that way,” Daniels said. “They don’t know anything about us.”

Saturday’s game at St. Ambrose starts at 1 p.m. Iowa Wesleyan will play on 11 of the next 12 Saturdays, giving the Tigers plenty of chances to show the nation that they’re for real.

“I know our guys are ready to prove they belong,” Daniels said.